Hinge mechanism



April 7, 1959 c. FORGACH 2,880,452

7 HINGE MECHANISM Filed Sept. 8, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet} INVENTOR. CALMAN FORGACH A T TOR/V5 Y5.

C; FORGACH HINGE MECHANISM April 7, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 8, 1955 H R M% 06. N MRW R E O 0 W I f AA A M M C J Y B United States Patent HINGE MECHANISM Calmau Forgach, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Massey- Ferguson Inc., a corporation of Maryland Application September 8, 1955, Serial No. 533,145

Claims. (Cl. 16-179) The present invention relates to hinge mechanisms, and

more particularly to hinge mechanisms for an access panel in a compartment such as in the engine compartment or hood of a motor vehicle.

It has been the practice to provide an access panel in the hoods of motor vehicles, particularly in tractors, to facilitate refueling and periodic inspection of the storage battery and coolant in the radiator without necessitating raising of the relatively heavy hood.

A number of problems are presented in the mounting of access panels. For example, to preserve the appearance of the hood it is desirable that the hinge mechanisms be concealed within the compartment or hood. However, the available space beneath the hood is frequently very limited.

It is also desirable that the hood may be opened without necessitating a handle or knob on the panel to detract from the appearance of the hood.

The hoods of motor vehicles frequently have compound comes the above problems and achieves the desired results in an efficient and satisfactory manner.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hinge mechanism for an access panel in a compartment in which the hinged edge of the panel is moved away from the edge of the opening in the compartment during opening of the panel to afford clearance therebetween.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hinge mechanism which is concealed within the compartment and occupies a minimum amount of space.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved hinge mechanism which facilitates opening of the panel and which retains the panel in an open position.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the acompanying description and drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, and will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of one end of a panel and compartment employing the hinge mechanism of the invention, parts of the hood and panel being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the hinge mechanism with the panel and compartment shown in cross section.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the latch taken on line 3-3 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the hinge mechanism taken on line 44 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to that-shown in Fig. 2 with.

ice

hood or compartment 7 by means of a pair of identical mounting structures (only one of which is shown) and each including a hinge mechanism 8 to permit swinging movement of the panel to cover or uncover an accessopening 9 in the hood.

The hood 7 is made of sheet metal and the edges of the paneled opening 9 are formed by flanges 11 which are complementary to beaded edge portions 12 of the panel 6.

An elongated bracket or brace 16 is rigidly connected at its opposite ends, as by welding, to the flange portions 11 at opposite sides of the access opening 9. When the panel 6 is in a closed position as shown in Fig. 2, the brace 16 is spaced a small distance from the inner surface 17 of the panel and presents an intermediate offset portion 18 which acts as a bracket for mounting a resilient cantilever leaf spring 21. As shown in Fig. 1 the spring is rigidly connected at one end to the offset portion 18 of the brace 16 *by a strap 22 which extends transversely of the brace 16 and is connected thereto by a pair of bolts 23 passing through aligned apertures in opposite ends of the strap and in tabs 24 formed integrally with and extendingfrom opposite sides of the brace 16. Upon tightening the bolts 23 one end of the spring 21 is firmly gripped between the brace 16 and the strap 22 and the other end tends to assume a position spaced from the bracket 16. The other or distal end of the leaf spring forms an eye 26 affording a pivot mounting for the panel 6.

The panel 6 rigidly mounts a bracket member 27 which,- as shown in Fig. 4, is generally channel shaped and has a bifurcated end portion 28. The eye 26 in the end of the leaf spring 21 is disposed between the bifurcations or legs 29 and is connected to the latter by means of a hinge pin 30 which passes through openings in the legs 29 and the eye 26 in spring 21. This connection affords a fixed pivot or hinge point on the panel 6 adjacent one edge of the engages the surface portion 34 at the inner wall of the compartment 7 to resist bodily movement of the hinged end 30 on panel 6 due to the biasing action of spring 21 and holds the hinged edge 35 forming a first edge portion of the panel 6 in proximity to the edge of the access opening 9.

The panel edge 36 forming a second edge portion of the panel opposite the hinged edge 35 is retained in a closed position by a latch mechanism 37 (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) on the bracket 16 and a hook member 38 rigidly connected to the panel 6. Latch mechanism 37 comprises an element 39 pivotally mounted by means of a pin 41 to a bracket 42 formed integral with brace 16. A detent button 44 is pivotally mounted on one end of the latch element 39 and protrudes through an aperture 46 in the hood 7. When the detent button 44 is pressed downwardly into the compartment the latch element 39 pivots about pin 41 and such pivotal movement is resiliently the bracket 42 and a slot in the end of detent button 44,

respectively. The amount of pivotal movement of the latch element 39 is limited by a pin 49 formed rigid with.

latch element 39 and engaging opposite sides of an enlarged opening 51 in bracket 42.

2,sso,4.52

The latch element 39 is provided with a tab 52 which, as shown in Fig. 2, engages a complementary latch element afforded by the hook member 38 to hold the panel 6 in latched position. To unlatch the panel, detent button 44 is pressed downwardly and tab 52 swings out of engagement with the hook 38. To relatch the panel in closed position it is swung downwardly about pin 30 so that a cam surface 53 on hook 38 engages tab 52 and pivots latch element 39 until the tab 52 is moved by the action of spring 47 into engagement with hook 38.

Referring to Fig. 2, when tab 52 is removed from the hook 38, the panel 6 will automatically swing to an open position about pin 30 due to the action of spring 21. Since pin 30 is moved bodily upwardly by spring 21 and since pin 33 is restrained from upward movement, panel 6 will be moved to an open position. Such action may be considered as generally similar to that of a lever of the third class. For example, considering the panel section to be a lever, a fulcrum is afforded at one end by pin 33 and a force is applied intermediate the ends of the lever to pin 30 by spring 21. Such lever action, however, is modified since the fulcrum afforded by pin 33 will act as a slide member to move along the inner track surface 34 of the bracket 16. The pin 33 may also be considered as forming a sliding pivot for the panel which is moved relative to the surface 34 upon upward movement of pin 30 due to the action of spring 21.

During opening of the panel 6, the spring 21 will swing the panel from the full line position shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. and such movement will ordinarily continue until the pin 33 slides to a position below pin 3@. Further clockwise movement of the panel 6 from the position in Fig. 5 is accomplished manually by swinging the panel to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2 in which case slide element or pin 33 moves to the left along the surface 34 until it engages the offset stop surface 54 formed by the portion 18 of the brace 16. This manual movement causes bodily movement of the pin 30 downwardly against the resistance of spring 21 to partially deflect the latter. The partially deflected spring 21 tends to bias pin 30 upwardly and consequently to bias pin 33 against the bottom surface of portion 18 and stop portion 54 thereby resisting movement of the pin 33 to the right. In this manner, panel 6 is held in its fully open position by the biasing action of spring 21 and the co-action of pin 33 and stop portion 54 so that the operators hands are free to service the various components within the compartment 7.

During upward movement of pin 30 and horizontal sliding movement of pin 33, panel edge 35 is moved both upwardly and to one side of the edge of the access opening in the compartment. This afiords ample clearance for a panel having a compound curved edge portion so that the hood and panel do not interfere with each other during opening movement of the latter.

It will be noted that when the panel is in a closed position beaded edge portions 35 and 36 are spaced upwardly a small amount from lower portions of the flanges 11 forming the edges of the access opening in the hood. Such spacing is caused by the biasing action of spring 21 interposed between brace 16 and panel 6, the biasing action being resisted by the pin 33 in engagement with the surface 34 and by tab 52 in engagement with the hook 38. With this arrangement the panel 6 may be considered as resiliently mounted in spaced relation to the hood so that rubbing between the panel and hood is prevented and rattling and noise due to vibration are reduced to a minimum.

It will be seen that a mechanism has been provided for mounting a panel in the access opening of the compartment in which the parts are concealed and yet occupy a minimum of space within the compartment and in which the hinging movement is such that during opening movement of the panel the hinged edge of the latter is moved away from the compartment to afford ample clearance between the various parts. In addition the panel mounting facilitates swinging of the panel to an open position and retaining it in its opened position.

It should be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to the above described forms and details and that the invention includes such other forms and modifications as are embraced by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a hinge mechanism for an access panel in the wall of a compartment, a bifurcated member rigidly connected to said panel adjacent an edge portion thereof, a hinge pin disposed between bifurcations of said member, a slide element connected between said bifurcations and spaced to one side of said hinge pin and said edge portion, an elongated bracket having opposite ends rigidly connected at opposite sides of an access opening in said compartment and disposed between said bifurcations and between said hinge pin and slide element, and a leaf spring rigidly connected at one end to a surface of said bracket facing said panel and having its distal end connected to said hinge pin for swinging movement of said panel between open and closed positions, said spring biasing said hinge pin in a path normal to and away from said bracket, said slide element engaging said bracket for sliding movement relative thereto to swing said panel to an open position about said hinge pin upon biasing movement of said spring to move said hinge pin away from said bracket.

2. A hinge mechanism as set forth in claim 1 in which said bracket presents a stop portion offset outwardly from said compartment and in which said spring biases said slide element into engagement with said stop portion when said panel is in an open position to resiliently resist closing movement of the latter.

3. In a hinge mechanism for an access panel in the wall of a compartment, a leaf spring rigidly secured at one end to said compartment on the inside thereof and positioned to bias the other end of said spring outwardly from said compartment, a panel pivotally secured adjacent one edge thereof to said other end of said spring whereby said spring can move said panel bodily outwardly from said compartment, and said panel can simultaneously pivot on said spring, said panel having a member adjacent to and extending to one side of said edge within said compartment and slidably engaging a track surface on the inner side of said compartment thereby tending to resist bodily movement of said panel away from said compartment and forming a sliding pivot for said panel relative to said compartment.

4. In a wall having an opening closed by an access panel, a hinge mechanism for said panel comprising, in combination, a leaf spring having one end pivoted adjacent one edge of said panel and its other end mounted rigidly with respect to said wall, said spring being tensioned for resiliently urging the panel from said opening, a guide member secured to said panel, a track member mounted rigidly with respect to said wall and having an inner surface extending generally parallel to the wall, said guide member slidably engaging said inner surface at a point spaced outwardly of said panel from its spring pivot point, so that when the panel is released the tensioned spring will lift and swing the panel to an open position, and means for releasably restraining upward movement or" the panel.

5. In a wall having an opening closed by an access panel, a hinge mechanism for said panel comprising, bracket member secured to said wall and extending across said opening spaced beneath said panel, a leaf spring having one end pivoted adjacent one edge of said panel and its other end secured to said bracket, said spring being tensioned so as to resiliently urge the panel upwardly from said opening, said bracket defining an inner track surface extending generally parallel to said wall, a guide member secured to said panel and being in siidable en- 5 6 gagement with said surface at a point spaced outwardly References Cited in the file of this patent of said panel from its spring pivot point, so that when UNITED STATES PATENTS the panel is released, the tensioned spring will lift and 653 018 Clum July 3 1900 swing the panel to an open position, and means for re- 9713723 Brown Oct 1910 leaseably restraining upward movement of the panel. 5 1381300 Elliott 'N 1930 2,487,746 Witmer Nov. 8, 1949 2,732,582 P-oe Jan. 31, 1956 

